Google Local Services Ads Are Moving to Performance Max: Official 2026-2027 Migration Guide

Google has published official documentation confirming that existing Local Services Ads campaigns will move into Google Ads as a specialized Performance Max campaign type optimized for pay-per-lead goals.

The key point is that this is not the same thing as a standard Performance Max campaign. Google says the migrated campaigns keep the pay-per-lead model, remain keywordless and serve exclusively on Google Search and Google Maps.

The first phase begins in August 2026 for selected United States home and storefront service advertisers. Broader United States migration follows in late 2026, and non-U.S. accounts plus remaining categories move in 2027.

Google's official migration page says Local Services Ads are moving to a more integrated self-service experience inside Google Ads, and that existing Local Services Ads campaigns will be automatically migrated to specialized Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals. Source: Google Ads Help.

Google also states that the management platform changes, but the ads continue to appear to local customers on Google Search and Google Maps. The same source says campaign creation for this new pay-per-lead campaign type is not directly available in Google Ads yet.

• August 2026: first phase for selected United States home and storefront service advertisers, including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, house cleaning, lawn care, roofing, pest control and moving.
• Late 2026: broader United States advertiser groups, including service-area businesses without storefronts and accounts with custom bidding or booking configurations.
• 2027: non-U.S. accounts and all remaining business categories not migrated in 2026.

Source: Google Ads Help migration timeline.

• Advertisers still pay for valid leads rather than ad clicks.
• The campaign remains keywordless, based on service categories, service areas and selected settings.
• Google says ads will continue to serve exclusively on Google Search and Google Maps in the same ad positions as before.
• Verified status and the Google Verified badge transfer automatically when the advertiser has already completed business verification.

Sources: Google Ads Help migration page and Local Services Help: how leads work.

• Management moves from the Local Services Ads dashboard into Google Ads.
• Previous campaign-level performance reports do not carry over into Google Ads, so they should be exported before migration.
• Weekly budgets are converted to average daily budgets by dividing the historical average weekly budget by seven.
• Manual bidding, such as setting a maximum cost per lead, is no longer supported in Google Ads after migration.
• Vertical-level Target CPA is not supported in Google Ads. Google says a unified campaign-level Target CPA will be calculated and applied when needed.
• BBB callouts are no longer supported.

Source: Google Ads Help migration page.

After migration, Google says advertisers should review campaign performance in Google Ads using metrics such as conversions, cost and cost per conversion. Budgets and bidding targets are reviewed in campaign settings.

Service areas, ad schedules and business categories can be reviewed in Google Ads. Google says these targeting settings operate independently of the Google Business Profile after migration, while core business details such as name, physical address and standard hours sync one way from the Google Business Profile.

Source: Google Ads Help: managing your campaigns in Google Ads.

Google's Local Services Help explains that advertisers are charged for each valid lead received through a Local Services ad, and that lead prices may vary by location, job type, lead type or bidding mode.

For migrated campaigns, Google's migration page states that advertisers still pay for valid qualified leads such as phone calls, message leads or bookings, not standard ad clicks.

Sources: Local Services Help: how leads work and Google Ads Help migration FAQ.

Google has confirmed that migrated Local Services Ads will continue serving on Google Search and Google Maps. Google also says they will serve in the same ad positions as before.

However, Google has not yet provided further official details about the exact future visual design, card layout, number of listings or complete ad-unit presentation after migration.

Do not treat this migration as permission to assume YouTube, Display, Gmail, Discover or Demand Gen inventory. Google's page explicitly contrasts this pay-per-lead campaign type with standard Performance Max, which uses broader Google inventory.

Google says previous campaign-level performance metrics, including past impressions, clicks, weekly spend and ad-level reports, will not migrate to Google Ads. Advertisers should download or export those reports before migration.

Google also says past customer lead history, including contact details, message history and older call recordings, will transfer automatically to Google Ads and remain accessible in Lead Manager.

Source: Google Ads Help migration FAQ.

Google says business name, physical address and standard hours sync from Google Business Profile to Google Ads after migration. Significant changes to business name, storefront address or primary category require review and may pause the campaign for 24 to 48 hours.

Local Services Help separately explains that businesses must pass Google's screening and verification process to participate in Local Services Ads. The process can vary by business category and location and may include background, business registration, insurance, license checks and minimum review requirements.

Sources: Google Ads Help migration page and Local Services Help: screening and verification.

• Review the migration email and dashboard banner when Google sends them.
• Export available historical reports before the migration date.
• Record current weekly budget, current lead volume, current cost per lead and service-category performance.
• Save current bidding settings and note any vertical-level bidding differences.
• Review lead history, message routes, phone routes and booking integrations.
• Confirm Google Business Profile name, address, phone, business hours and primary category.
• Confirm verification, license and insurance documentation status if your category requires it.
• Take screenshots of the current account configuration for operational record-keeping.

• Google has not yet provided further official details about the exact future visual card design.
• Google has not yet provided further official details about the number of listings shown in each surface after migration.
• Google has not yet provided further official details about the final public creation flow for new pay-per-lead campaigns directly inside Google Ads.
• Google has not yet provided further official details about every non-U.S. country timing beyond the 2027 statement.

These answers stay inside Google's official documentation. When Google has not explained a detail, the answer says so directly.

Are Local Services Ads being discontinued?

Google describes this as a transition into Google Ads, not as a discontinuation of Local Services Ads. Existing campaigns are migrated to specialized Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals.

Are Local Services Ads becoming Performance Max?

Existing Local Services Ads campaigns are being migrated to a specialized Performance Max campaign type optimized for pay-per-lead goals. Google distinguishes it from standard Performance Max.

Will advertisers still pay per lead?

Yes. Google says advertisers still pay for valid qualified leads rather than ad clicks.

Will advertisers pay for clicks?

Google says migrated pay-per-lead campaigns charge for valid qualified leads, not standard ad clicks.

Will the ads still appear on Google Search?

Yes. Google confirms Search serving for migrated pay-per-lead campaigns.

Will they still appear on Google Maps?

Yes. Google confirms Google Maps serving for migrated pay-per-lead campaigns.

Will they appear on YouTube or Display?

Google says this pay-per-lead campaign type serves only on Google Search and Google Maps. Google has not confirmed YouTube or Display serving for this migration.

Will the visual card format change?

Google has not yet provided further official details about the exact future visual design or card format.

Will Local Services Ads remain above standard Search ads?

Google says the ads continue in the same ad positions as before, but it has not provided a more detailed future placement description in the official migration page.

What happens to existing lead records?

Google says past customer lead history transfers automatically to Google Ads Lead Manager.

What happens to historical reports?

Google says previous campaign-level performance reports do not migrate and should be exported before migration.

How will weekly budgets change?

Google says the historical average weekly budget is divided by seven to create an average daily budget.

When does the migration begin?

Google says the first phase begins in August 2026 for selected United States home and storefront service advertisers.

When will advertisers outside the United States migrate?

Google says non-U.S. accounts migrate in 2027.

What should advertisers do before migration?

Review Google's migration notices, export historical reports, record budget and bidding settings, review lead routes and confirm Google Business Profile and verification details.

Is your Local Services Ads account moving into Google Ads? Describe your current setup or migration issue to Lia from our Google Ads management page. Lia can structure the situation before a CreatikLab specialist reviews the account.

Google Help pages reviewed on July 21, 2026. The Google Help pages consulted did not display a visible publication or update date in the page body at review time.